Customer Reviews

Promised Land

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm not much of a Queensryche fan, at one point I was and quickly bought up all of their albums (save the EP and Hear in the Now Frontier), but quickly got bored with most of their material, yes, even "Operation: Mindcrime" (which seems like a adolecent rebelion album) and their Radio friendly "Empire", since I've never cared much for commercial stuff.

The story goes that after their commercial success with "Empire", Queensryche felt really lost, as if they'd reached their goal only to find that it wasn't really what they wanted, hence the dark thematic semi-concept album (at about the level you would call the average Rush album, like Counterparts, a concept album) that revolves around themes of incontentment and depression.

A friend of mine meantioned Promised Land, which he wasn't very much into at the time, but in my haste, I picked it up anyway, and I'm glad I did. With a band that offers a totally new sound every album, like 'Ryche, you're often left wondering, "Why didn't they stick with this and develope off of this style?", to me, at least, this is the album they should have developed their style off of. I keep thinking I'm going to hear other songs on other albums that remind me of this, as most bands don't just pick up a new style all at once, but aside from some tinges on O:MC and Empire, there is no Promised Land aside from Promised Land.

It's not the sort of album that I find myself putting in the player every other week, I tend to have PL binges when I rediscover it's incredible energy and extreme depth of sound. I don't take fault in this, it's not an album for every mood or time in your life, and rediscovery only hightens it's amaizment.

A few weeks ago, I rediscovered this album after getting really into Pink Floyd, and realized the influence Floyd really have on this album. In many ways, the title track could be a cross between Animals and A Momentary Lapse in Reason ("Just Another Movie" or the "New Machine" trilogy come to mind), if you close your eyes, Tate even sounds a bit like Gilmour, and it's got wailing sax and everything! Other songs offer similar colors and moods. "Disconnected" reminds me a lot of modern day Tool, but with a uniqueness all it's own... in fact, this song really comes out of the blue for 'Ryche, there's nothing else remotely like it. "I Am I" is probably the one that comes anywhere near sounding like "Disconnected", and has a lot of great hooks, as well as some infinitely deep production. "Damage" is a highly overlooked track that has one of the heaviest bass riffs I've ever heard. Some other great tracks include "One More Time Around" which is probably the most "Empire" sounding track on this album, and "Someone Else?" which has also recently been re-released in a full band version that is very cool, both versions are very good, and are very beautiful. The only track that doesn't do it for me is "My Global Mind" in which some pretty terrible lyrics just get in the way, which is uncommon for Queensryche.

Now, I know that many diehard Queensryche fans don't hold this album very highly, and if you fit this description, you may or may not be pleased by it. I contest to being a pretty big old school (as well as the new stuff) progressive rock fan, and this album fits right in there. It isn't progmetal the way Dream Theater or Fates Warning are, it's much closer to early Marillion (as well as Brave) or, as I said earlier, a heavy metal version of Pink Floyd.

If you really like this album, I highly recommend the following, which include some similar qualities:

Tool - "Lateralus" or "Ćnima"
Pain of Salvation - "The Perfect Element part 1"
Devin Townsend - "Ocean Machine: Biomech" or "Terria"
Pink Floyd - "A Momentary Lapse in Reason"
Marillion - "Clutching At Straws" or "Brave"
Fates Warning - "A Pleasant Shade of Gray"
Behind the Curtain - "'Till Birth Do Us Part"

Promised Land is an incredible album that stands strong on its own merits, even outside of comparison to other QR efforts.

As others have observantly stated, chances are Promised Land will not "grab" you on the first listen.. It didn't grab me at first; something I believe owes alot to its being so opposite a release than Empire. There's *so* much going on that you *couldn't* get it all on one listen. It isn't possible. But given the chance, reading the lyrics and listening to it atleast *once* with a good set of headphones.. it *will* grab you. It is by far the most personal of their efforts and is, in my opinion, the most masterfully crafted.

From the songwriting to the performances, arrangements, "ambient layering" and production - everything is top-notch. The music, lyrics and Geoff's vocal delivery of each song are perfectly matched. If the raw emotion conveyed in the last verse of "Promised Land" alone doesn't draw some derivative of "whoah" out of you... little else will.

If, as many people seem to feel, "Mindcrime" was the peak of 'ryche's career, then Promised Land is undoubtedly their second wind.

My personal favorites are: 'Damaged', 'Bridge', 'Promised Land', 'One More Time' and 'Someone Else?'.

All eleven tracks are brilliant and Promised Land is a work that no lover of deep, intelligent and masterfully conceived music should pass on giving a chance... or two... or three :-).

People whine about HITNF but the truth is Queensryche's sound has evolved considerably all along. The EP was metal. The Warning was metal tinged with progressive. Rage was metal tinged with more progressive and some pop. Mindcrime was metal -- progressive in the sense of telling a story, but musically, metal. Their masterpiece. Empire started the shift to a more lush pop sound, very much in Pink Zeppelin/Led Floyd sort of way while retaining some metal. With Promised Land, the metal was polished to such a smooth mirrored finish it's not really metal at all, but a masterful popcraft and one of the most listenable albums of the last decade. From here things went arguably south, but Promised Land is the Queensryche album the boys and girls, fans and non fans, critics and MTV viewers, can all agree on. Apart from Mindcrime, if you have one 'Ryche, have this one.

First things first. Promised Land was the last Queensryche album that I liked and they have released nothing that I enjoyed much since 1994. As a matter of fact, whatever they did post-PL sounds nothing like the Queensryche we all discovered in the 80's and grew to love so much over the years. Unfortunately they took a completely different direction after this record obviously going for a more commercial sound alienating some of their die-hard fans along the way, myself included. Well, so be it. To me Promised Land was the last nail in the coffin of Queensryche and they will never be the same band again.

I'm all for change and progression. I do not expect my favourite bands to carry on walking on the same musical path for ever. The self-titled debut was great as was The Warning. With Rage for Order they were onto new soundscapes and Mindcrime was the pinnacle of their success. With Empire they also managed to sell their albums. And all of this happened in a space of eight years always pushing their limits a bit broader and developing their mindset. As years passed by, the brilliance of Mindcrime and Empire was even more evident, so the guys took a long time -- 4 years -- to write their ultimate follow-up to these magnificent records. And Promised Land proved to be a completely different, more mature in a way and unexpected Queensryche album. While it surprised some fans, it eventually began to grow on those who were open-minded, particularly with "I Am I" getting a lot of airplay and MTV support.

This is not a concept album or as unified a release as Mindcrime was; however it has its own unique traits to it and is possibly the most balanced album in their entire catalog. Everything runs so smoothly satisfying both the old metalheads and the ones who lean towards Ryche's proggy roots. The Pink Floyd influence was never so prevalent before. There are spots on this disc that are very reminiscent of Floyd's A Momentary Lapse in Reason for all I know. The opening tracks "I Am I" and "Damaged" both penned by DeGarmo and Tate are the heavier sides of the album with nice hooks and remarkable vocal harmonies. They are followed by "Out of Mind" and "Bridge" which are both stamped by Chris DeGarmo's trademark sound and feature the more laid-back and their softer moments. DeGarmo's solo in "Out of Mind" is perhaps the LAST guitar solo I liked on a Queensryche album. Its slow progression and minimal writing charged with tons of emotion make this solo a masterpiece all on its own standards. Too bad this guy got all the unfair crap from his very own fanbase and was always overlooked one way or another among prog metal listeners. Too bad because Chris DeGarmo, whether his musical style nowadays appeals to me or not, is one of the most prolific songwriters ever. He was always regarded the 'second' man of the band because of Tate, but it showed hideously how important his role in the band is when he left the band. And as for the albums that he played on, they weren't bad albums because of DeGarmo, they were bad because DeGarmo played on them without having his heart in it. That's my take at least. If Ryche was so good on their own, they wouldn't have asked him to co-write on their last album Tribe, would they?

The title track, also the longest song on the album, is neatly placed right in the middle of the record and is my favourite song on the album. It was composed by all members in the band together and there is room for everyone to show how great they function together. "Promised Land" is an integral part of the way they all express themselves so well. The Floydan atmosphere is there, Tate does his lower register vocals flawlessly as well as he lets out his killer screams. I think this album was when his voice was its best. A perfect smooth tone with a lot expression. The rhythm work is top notch with solos played in random all over it. "Disconnected" is one of those songs I would despise if I heard it on their post-PL records but it sounds okay on this CD as it's the only one following the album's most complex track. It is very alternative sounding as it's the only tune that DeGarmo had no hand in writing. Still there's a nice solo towards the finale which makes it listenable. It is however sad that Ryche decided to ground their 'new' work on this song taking the easy way out instead of the title track with its layered melodies and intricate musicianship.

"Lady Jane" is another personal favourite of mine and while I have always enjoyed listening to "My Global Mind" as it's the next heavy tune to keep things in order I always believed it fell a little short in the lyrical department. As for the last two songs here, "One More Time" and "Someone Else?", the latter of which became another radio single, I have to point out that no Queensryche album has had such amazing album closers, that includes their masterpiece Mindcrime. I can't stop listening to this disc without hearing these two songs. Only then do I feel complete, hence the "perfectly balanced album" thing I mentioned previously. This album is so successfully produced and recorded it almost brings me to tears when I think of all the CDs they released after it. Why did all their brilliant ideas go down the drain all of a sudden?

Promised Land is one of my top 3 Queensryche albums always changing places with Empire. Mindcrime is unquestionably their best moment, but I also highly recommend their earlier stuff if you like good heavy metal with progressive overtones. If you don't like metal and prog, but just simple alternative pop-rock, then maybe their newer material would be more up your alley.

Quite simply, this is the finest effort in the Queensryche catalog. Rage For Order may be a little more musically ambitious, but R4O's problem is that it sounds dated, as great as it is. Promised Land sounds as fresh and vibrant today as the day I bought it. One of the top reasons for this album being their best, besides the music, is the fact that it has QR's most personal and introspective lyrics. Let's face it, as great as albums like Rage For Order and Mindcrime are, the lyrics lose their impact after a while. Can you really relate at all to Nikki from Mindcrime???

Promised Land has lyrics that I think a lot of people can indentify with, but that take on more and more meaning as you get older. How many of us have felt estranged from a parent or loved one at one time or another? Or felt like the goals you set earlier in life now seem out of reach? When I hear the words on this album, combined with music ranging from hard-hitting (I Am I), tragic (Someone Else), haunting (Lady Jane) to despairing (Promised Land), it makes that much more of an impact.

No, you will not hear wanking guitars. No, you will not hear the usual amount of over-the-top Geoff Tate vocals. No, you will not get a sonic assualt of drum and bass.

What you will absolutely get is an album of powerful music and lyrics, one that you can make a connection with (and yes, you can live a happy life and still identify with downcast lyrics), and one that will not leave you the same person as before.

I got the album when it first came out, as Bridge turned out to be a bomb. Since then I let it collect dust, until 2001, when I dug it out and actually listened to it.

Well, needless to say, I now have The Warning, RfO, Empire and Mindcrime. However, this is definitely their peak effort.
They starting using sound bits in Empire, and did a good job...but the album is fundamentally ruined by the likes of Hand on Heart and Best I Can. It's no wonder it was their greatest commercial success--it's half fluff.

Promised Land starts with the heart monitor, and goes into a heavy emotional ride. It doesn't have the distinct, clean tings and twangs you'd be used to from their previous albums, but rather, has POWER.

The worst the album is by far my Global Mind, and One More Time. If they were the only good songs on the album, it would STILL be worth buying.

Promised Land should give anybody chills. Lady Jane should haunt you in a dark room (if not as much as Karn Evil 9), and Someone Else (the only recording I've heard where Geoff Tate actually has to strain to hit a few notes) practically leaves you wondering what they were doing, going from near-over-produced music to a guy and a piano...but it works, and wonderfully.

If you want Empire or Rage for Order revisited, this isn't it, and you'll be sorely dissappointed. If you just want an amazing metal album, maybe with a dark overtone, this is it.

This is the first Queensryche album I heard . When I bought it I was n't really expecting too much - but it seems I was mistaken.
The album is a masterpiece -from start to end . Indeed , it is probably one of the best metal albums to date --
It is not so easy to follow ,though - I had to give it ten hearings before I finally understood it .
The song , One more time is a gem - it is the best on the album.
Every song on the album is amazing except for Disconnected -which is slightly boring .
This is an excellent buy .

I got this album a few years ago, for Bridge. While still good, I was then just wanting some good rock.

Now, I take it out of the closet and dust it off. I listen. I hear what I was missing. Great poetry, the great vocals, their playing and arrangments... Haunting and desparing...it isn't an onslaught on your ears. Bridge is a great ballad...then Damaged, which is a hard, Queensryche like song...but then Lady Jane doesn't even sound like them at all, nor Disconnected...wow...then after I thought "I found the greatest treasue this closet could have," I was assaulted by the low, hard, emotion-evoking title track. It deserves 5 stars all by itself.

Queensryche might not be able to manage the commercial success of Empire again, but I also doubt they will match Promised Land's merit as plain good music.

If you like hard rock and poetry, this is a masterpiece you simply must own.

Though not a true concept album like Operation: Mindcrime, Promised Land is an engaging conceptual-esque song cycle unified by simarily themed songs and myriad sound effects. From the opening collage of 9:28 AM we get right into the "story" with I Am I, which, along with The Bridge, was a minor album rock radio hit. Other standout tracks include Out of Mind, the epic title track, One More Time, and the personal, moving closing track Someone Else? which is made all the more poignant as it's arrangement consists solely of piano and Geoff Tate's world-class vocals. This is possibly the band's best set of lyrics ever, they are, for the most part, intensely personal, moving, and, at times, uplifting. Out of Mind, with it's conveyings of guilt and the sense of perspective it gives you, and the all too typical father/son story in The Bridge are the standouts in the lyrical department. The music and overall arrangements are also the best and most dense that Queensryche has ever put together. Though not their top album (that honor still belings to Mindcrime) this is one of their most interesting, and certainly one of their best.

As a long-time fan of Queensryche, I was vapid with anticipation when I heard of the release of this album. The marketing for it was virtually non-existant, and I actually discovered the album had been released when I ran across a guitar transcription for "I Am I."

The first listen, for me, was a bit of a disappointment. I was really expecting another "Empire" (and hoping for another "Operation: Mindcrime"), and this album is DEFINITELY not either one. However, a strange thing happened when I listened to it several more times. I found myself almost mesmerized by the eerie music and haunting vocals. The band took a change of direction, but it was a good change.

Simply speaking, this album is a work of art. It is superb. Buy this album, and give it a FEW listens; you will not be disappointed.